ICC T20 WC: Sri Lanka wins toss, opts to field first against Namibia in tournament opener
Oct 16, 2022
South Geelong [Australia], October 16 : Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka won the toss and opted to field first against Namibia in their first-round Group A match in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 at the Simonds Stadium on Sunday.
Shanaka led-side is coming into the match with heavy momentum, having downed Pakistan to win Asia Cup 2022. On the other hand, Namibia is not a side to be taken for granted either as they have won five of their eight T20Is this year.
Sri Lanka captain Shanaka said at the toss, "We would like to have a bowl. It is a first game, we would like to have a look at the wicket. The boys are very confident. We got the same combination that we had in the Asia Cup. With the bowling we have, we'd look to restrict them to a decent score."
Namibia skipper Gerhard Erasmus also said, "Both captains would have liked to bowl first. The unknown factor of exactly how the wicket will play and a bit of over head conditions. It is three games - three games of your life, you need to be on top from the start. If we can start well with the bat, put some pressure on them, that'll go a long way into making it a very tight game. These conditions suit our bowling attack. It is a little bit slower and something in the air. In the warm-up game, our bowlers have hit the ground running and hopefully we can emulate that."
Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Dhananjaya de Silva, Danushka Gunathilaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka(c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka, Maheesh Theekshana
